


The first time in years

by Ewoo



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Background Relationships, Insecure Ron, Minor Fleur Delacour/Bill Weasley, Minor Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, No Bashing, Ron Protection Squad, charlie holds an intervention, harry kinda takes over, they all care about Ron, why is that not a tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-01-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:35:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22284199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ewoo/pseuds/Ewoo
Summary: Charlie wants to talk to Ginny about Ron.The others are invited.
Relationships: Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Ron Weasley & Weasley Family
Comments: 3
Kudos: 82





	The first time in years

**Author's Note:**

> been sittin' on this for a while now but never got around to finishing it  
> hope you like it

It was the first time in years that the whole Weasley family had been all in one place, Charlie just stood, taking it all in. Being with his family. Bill, Percy, George and Fred, Ron, Ginny. Mum. Dad. Harry and Hermione too, they were basically adopted at this point. Mrs Weasley had cooked a massive feast to celebrate, and everyone was sitting round the magically enlarged table, talking and smiling and enjoying being together. 

Hermione was having a heated argument with the twins about one of their most recent pranks, they delighted in trying to make her contradict herself and run her in circles. Bill was talking to Mum and Dad about his and Fluer’s plans at Gringotts, a nice girl from work he had met and married after giving her ‘English Lessons’, while Harry tried to awkwardly navigate his way through a conversation with Percy about some ‘interesting’ thing he had found while researching cauldron bottoms. Ginny was laughing loudly at Ron about some joke, he hunched his shoulders, ears getting redder and redder and redder-

“Ginny stop.”

His cold voice cut through the room, taking with it the noise. Sucking the joviality from the room like a dementor. Ginny was staring at him, wide-eyed, frozen in place. Everybody was staring at him. He knew why. He was the relaxed one, the calm one, quiet and safe, the one you went to when you had nightmares. He had never raised his voice before. He had never lost his temper, had never lost his cool. Harry was nervously watching him, eyes flicking between Ginny and him like one of them would erupt into flames at any moment. He didn't. 

The clock ticked (the ordinary one) and time seemed to stand still. Until he spoke again, which he didn't for some time, allowing the silence to stretch on and choke the room.

“Ginny can we talk? Outside.”

Gin smiled nervously and stood hesitantly, “O-of course, Charlie.”

In his peripheral he noticed Fred and George start to whisper to each other.

“You too, George and Fred.”

They shared a look, stood and walked silently out the door behind him. After a few seconds Ginny awkwardly followed them, confusion and fear etched in her features. He spun on his heel and calmly walked towards the door. He paused on the threshold.

“Bill, Percy and Harry. You may join if you wish to do so.” he heard three chairs scrape back and two* pairs of feet make their way over. Without looking back, he stepped outside into the night.

He walked some distance away from the house to where the three were standing apprehensively. 

“What is it Charlie?” said Fred.

“Ron.”

“What about him?” Whispered Bill, “Why isn't he here if it’s about him?”

“Oh.” Is all Harry said.

“Harry did you know about this?” asked Ginny accusingly.

“No, but it's been a long time coming,” he near whispered, “me and Hermione do what we can but…”

“What? What are you talking about Harry?” spluttered Percy.

“He has no confidence.” stated Charlie bluntly.

“Yeah - that” Harry sighed, gesturing towards him.

“What do you mean?”

“Yeah, Ron’s plenty confident.”

“Look - let's start with you guys and work our way down from Bill, then we can go on to ‘Mione and me.” said Harry flatly, “Bill: The oldest; curse breaker, prefect and head boy, currently married to a Veela. And Charlie - “

“I'm a cool dragon tamer, Quidditch captain and one of the best seekers in Hogwarts, good enough to play professionally.”

“Oh dear,” said Percy, catching on. “We must have put a lot of pressure on him. I mean - look at me: straight O student, Prefect, Head Boy, responsible and mature...”

“Yeah, but he was prefect, head boy, keeper and whatever as well!” protested Fred,

“But what did you say when you found out? Did you congratulate him? Encourage him?” demanded Harry.

“No. We- I told him it must've been a mistake.” said Fred, looking horrified.

“You said no-one in their right mind would make him a prefect” whispered George, dragging his hands over his face, “and I agreed…”

“We were joking, he must have known that...”

“It's really hard to tell sometimes guys - especially for Ron!” exclaimed Percy, before softly adding, “and me.”

“I- okay. We’ll try to stop those kind of jokes,” said Fred, running his hands through his hair, “Sorry Perce.”

“It's all right.”

“That’s all we ask.” said Charlie, smiling.

“And I’ll try to do the same,” said Ginny, speaking for the first time since they got out here, eyes hard, “that is what you wanted to talk to me about, isn't it Charlie? Or was it something else?”

“Yeah, that was basically it.” he smiled and turned as if to go back inside, but Harry’s voice stopped him.

“There’s… something else you should know… it's about when we were on the run.” 

He proceeded to tell them about the locket and the Riddle-Harry and Riddle-Hermione, and by the time he was done Ginny had tears in her eyes and Bill’s face had gone slightly grey.

“I had no idea,” whispered Ginny, “he never mentioned…”

“I didn't know it was that bad,” muttered Charlie, eyes wide, looking like he was going to be sick.

“He's always shunted to one side, and he puts up with it, and he never mentions it. He told me once that ‘Everyone expects him to do as well as you guys, but if he does, it's no big deal, because you did it first.’ He never gets anything new, either, with five brothers. He had Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's old rat. It didn’t help that Gin was getting all this new stuff, like a new wand when he’s stuck with one with it’s core sticking out. He sometimes feels like he was just, I dunno, a stepping stone to having a daughter. Look - I don't want you to start treating him like glass or anything, but just be mindful, yeah?” 

“Yeah- yes of course,” swallowed Percy, “yeah.”

They all took a moment to compose themselves, before heading back inside. To the warmth. To family.

**Author's Note:**

> *are you telling me that Harry's time at the Dursley's didn't make him learn to walk silently?


End file.
